The public record on the land contained the long list of government agencies that had to sign off on the development: fire marshals and storm water specialists, the department of transportation, wastewater planners. There was no boogey man I could blame – no rogue developer that had snuck into the forest in the middle of the night to pull a sneak attack on nature. A host of people had made the decision collectively over many years, including the urban forester who emailed me. The result, seemingly so sudden, was the result of careful, albeit dispassionate, planning.

According to the NRDC, "Scientists at the US Forest Service and partners at universities, non-profits and other agencies predict that urban and developed land areas in the US will increase 41 percent by 2060. Forested areas will be most impacted by this expansion, with losses ranging from 16 to 34 million acres in the lower 48 states."